On Drinking Tea…

Mostly because I like it!

Except for one tragic incident in the early ’70s, I’ve been a fan of tea.

I’ve come to like something called “Yogi Tea” and you can consider this my PSA.

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A great introduction

I must first confess – I was introduced to it while visiting friends. They had a batch on the stove and when they offered: “Hey Steve, would you like some of this?” I was happy to do so – and fell in love with it.

So yes – I didn’t make my first batch (or three), and enjoyed it in good company – and those are two factors you might not experience for yourself.

(The alternative of course is to get yourself invited over to my home and ask me to serve you some;-)

A collection of tastes and smells

The tea is not your ordinary black or even green. I was encouraged to sweeten to taste (with honey) for my first cup. That was probably a requirement because I had yet to give up sugars. And while I generally no longer add honey, it does add to the flavor and is nice on occasion.

The tea fills the kitchen with a great aroma – and the rest of the family can tell when I’ve brewed a batch.

(yes – you make two quarts worth and then save it for a number of days)

Its history

It was called “Yogi Tea” by the woman who first introduced me to it, and she didn’t quite have a recipe. Perhaps by now I wouldn’t need a recipe either – but thanks to searching technology, I was able to put in some key ingredients and find one.

And yes – if you really don’t want to make it yourself, you can buy some from a company called “Yogi Tea” – They’ve pre-packaged the ingredients. I don’t think it’s quite as good as what you can make over the stove yourself, but it is easy enough.

Good for you

As a child I once tried mom’s – and said “ugh, this is terrible”. She told me that I had to learn to like it. To which I said: “Why would I want to learn to like to drink something that tastes awful?”

She didn’t have much to say to that…

And everything that goes into the tea has a beneficial aspect for your body – and no, I’m not going to quantify each, but the Ode to Chi Tea & Yogi Tea (pointed to above) lays some out. (Though coffee seems to be gaining – studies have found some benefits – but I’m not likely to ever get them;-)

The incident…

I suppose I owe you a bit of explanation about “the incident”.

The family was in Vermont celebrating my grandparents 50th anniversary, and were enjoying a nice dinner at a place fancy enough that I had to wear a suit. It didn’t look like there were options for drinks other than water, and so when offered, I asked for some tea.